It does not take all that much to make me happy in the food department these days: a thick slice of homemade honey-sweetened bread topped with fat spears of oil-doused, roasted asparagus and a perfectly-poached egg definitely does it.
I recently wrote about wanting more cake in my life. Same goes for bread.
You are probably wondering what’s going on. Am I on a carb binge or something? No… not at all, but I AM eating more carbs (and more food in general) these days. Since I started doing a lot of weight training a few months ago, I have found that I simply need to eat more that I was eating previously (plus I really do believe there is room for both bread AND cake in a healthy, balanced diet).
Good bread is tasty, and it’s a damn convenient food to have in the house. When I have time, I bake my own. It’s something I have always loved to do, but I will be honest with you: for years, I felt like I was doing something “wrong” when I baked bread since I’d convinced myself bread was “bad” for me based on everything I’ve read that demonizes wheat and gluten. Well, I am done with that way of thinking. I am done with categorizing foods as “bad” or “good”. It’s all just food after all: I choose to eat more of some things and less of others, and that’s that (no one in my family has problems with wheat or gluten so there is simply no reason for us to completely avoid them).
If you want to read a little more about where I am at with all of this right now, here you go: My Open Letter To Everyone Who Eats.
The recipe for the honey wheat bread and this dish both come from a new book called Relish: An Adventure in Food, Style, and Everyday Fun
by Daphne Oz. I don’t spend much time in front of the tv (unless you count the re-runs of The Nanny and Full House that I watch with my daughter), so I had honestly never heard of the author before this book landed in my mailbox (thanks to the publisher, who sent me a review copy). That said, Daphne is apparently the cohost of a show called The Chew; she is also Dr Mehmet Oz’s daughter.
I’ve only perused the book so far and really can’t speak to much of the content, but I will say that the recipes are pretty lovely, and the photography is really stunning. Also, the book just has a happy “vibe” to it so I do plan to sit down and actually read it soon.
I had this dish for lunch yesterday, but I think it would make the perfect Mother’s Day meal if you are looking for something to that effect. Have a happy weekend, everyone!
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Recipe for Honey Wheat Toast with Roasted Asparagus and Poached Egg
Ingredients
- *6 asparagus spears
- *1/2 tablespoon olive oil plus extra for drizzling
- *Sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper
- *1 teaspoon white vinegar
- *2 eggs I used eggs from my chickens; only one is shown in the photos because I ate the other one before it made it onto the sandwich
- *Honey Whole-Wheat Bread recipe found on page 14 of the book or other crusty bread
- *Fresh basil leaves for garnish I used parsley and dill instead
- Tabasco optional
- Ketchup optional
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- 2. Place the asparagus spears on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes. Shake the pan to rotate the asparagus spears and bake for 5 minutes more. The spears should be tender and slightly shrunken, with a golden brown char. If you want them a bit darker, pop the under a broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, but watch them closely or you'll end up with charcoal! Chop the spears in half.
- 3. Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a low simmer over medium-low heat (tiny bubbles just barely breaking the surface). Add the vinegar and whisk vigorously. One at a time, crack the eggs into a small bowl and gently drop them into the water while stirring the water gently with a slotted spoon. Keep swirling the water gently to help the eggs form into little balls. Skim away any foam on the surface so that you can keep an eye on the eggs. You will have perfectly poached eggs with runny yolks in about 3 minutes. Cook longer if you prefer a firmer yolk. Remove the eggs with a slotted and place them on a dish towel or paper towel to drain.
- 4. Slice yourself a nice hunky piece of bread and toast it if you like. Top with the asparagus spears and poached eggs. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil. If desired, add a dash of Tabasco and some ketchup as well. Swoon!
